Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Towards Designing And Performing Biological Sex: Explorations Of The Cyborg And The Inanimate, Beja Puskas

Theatre and Dance Honors Projects

While gender has been largely debunked as a form of performance, biological sex remains an irreducible point of departure. This essay challenges biological sex as a category through the Foucauldian lens of bio-power and technologies of the self. It merges findings from interviews surrounding intersectionally marginalized experiences with menstruation with trans and disability studies. Utilizing Mel Chen’s theory of animacies, and Margrit Shildrick’s human-technology amalgamation theory, this essay blurs the biological-artificial binary. While there are obstacles, limiting what is biologically possible for humans, the body can be significantly augmented through imagination, body modification, and the invention of newly gendered practices.

Bioethics As Seen On Stage: Can Theater Change The World?, Sarah J. Cavanaugh

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

This research paper investigates the extent to which theatrical works can influence societal reform through the depiction of bioethical dilemmas through time, analyzing performative theater’s ability to change the world through great societal impact. By examining four plays from distinct historical periods—Philoctetes by Sophocles (409 BCE), Whose Life is it Anyway? by Brian Clark (1972), The Waiting Room by Lisa Loomer (1994), and Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey (2010)—this study analyzes how theater has consistently engaged with evolving issues of medical ethics and patient autonomy. Each play presents ethical conflicts reflective of the medical and social dilemmas of …

Lights, Camera, Acting! A Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Approach To Basic Filmmaking, Jessica Maloney, Chris Nelson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

No film studio? No problem! This activity is designed to introduce basic concepts of filmmaking across disciplines such as theatre and communications, but could be used by either. It includes an emphasis on acting as well as the technical processes and procedures on set. We have geared this activity specifically towards use in a cross-listed class in Communication and Theatre Arts.

"The Climate Emotion Wheel" - An Exercise To Address Climate Anxiety Inspired By Boal's Forum Theatre, Talin Abadian

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The goal of this exercise is to provide students a space to articulate these complex emotions, engage in collaborative problem-solving with their peers, reclaim a sense of agency and empowerment by exploring meaningful action collectively while also highlighting individual responsibilities towards the environment. This exercise can be used effectively to demonstrate the power of Boal’s Forum Theatre as a tool for collaborative problem-solving and communal rehearsing of solutions to real-world challenges.

Exploring The Seams Of Performance: Performance Studies & Theater Praxis, Sarah Kozinn

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The exercise aims to use a taxonomy of performance, as theorized by Richard Schechner in his essay “Drama, Script, Theatre, and Performance,” to think analytically about what performance is. (Part of the goal is to “make strange” what students, most often, think they already know by giving then tools to better define and identify the spectrum of what is termed “performance.”)  Students will articulate the porously bounded areas of drama, script, theatre, and performance, teasing apart and developing a definition of what defines theatre as theatre in relation to how they define performance.  Through this, students will develop an analytic …

Communication & Theater Association Of Minnesota Journal, Volume 49, Issue 1, 2026

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Volume 49, Issue 1 (2026) of the Communication & Theater Association of Minnesota Journal.

Kembang Setaman Dalam Budaya Jawa Sebagai Ide Penciptaan Seni Lukis Kontemporer, Lintang Putri Kinasih, Ponimin Ponimin

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Kembang setaman is a traditional floral arrangement used in various Javanese cultural practices and carries symbolic meanings associated with human life. This research and artistic creation aims to reinterpret the symbolism of kembang setaman through contemporary painting and explore its potential as a source of visual ideas for representing the human life journey. The creative process adapted Alma M. Hawkins’ method, comprising exploration, improvisation, and realization. Exploration involved literature and visual studies as well as reflection on personal experience; improvisation involved sketch development and artistic experimentation; and realization employed acrylic paint on canvas. The process resulted in six paintings representing …

Strategi Sanggar Mekkas Laras Dalam Pelestarian Musik Karawitan Di Kabupaten Pamekasan, Fai’Atus Sakinah

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

This study examines the strategies employed by Mekkas Laras Art Studio to preserve karawitan music in Pamekasan Regency and identifies the challenges and adaptive responses involved. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with data collected through interviews, observations, and documentation involving the studio's management, instructors, and participants. Data were analyzed through data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings reveal three interrelated processes of karawitan preservation: perception, appreciation, and creation. Perception introduces participants to karawitan and facilitates enculturation through direct engagement; appreciation fosters recognition of its cultural values and functions; and creation provides space for innovation and …

Representasi Visual Cover Artwork “Revolusi Mental” Paroots: Analisis Semiotika Roland Barthes, Revaldi Arya Utomo, Agnisa Maulani Wisesa

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Cover artwork in digital music functions not only as a visual identity but also as a representational medium that constructs meaning through symbols, colors, and composition. This study examines the visual representation of Paroots’ “Revolusi Mental” cover artwork, created by Garis Edelweiss, using Roland Barthes’ semiotics and Stuart Hall’s theory of representation. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, drawing on the visual artwork and in-depth interviews with Garis Edelweiss and five members of Paroots. Barthes’ framework was used to identify denotative, connotative, and mythical meanings, while Hall’s framework was applied to examine the relationship between the creator’s encoding and the …

Transformasi Karakter Pandawa Lima Dalam Penciptaan Batik Lukis Dengan Pewarna Remazol, Putri Ayu Karisma Oktavia, Ike Ratnawati

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

This art creation study explores and transforms the characters of the Pandawa Five into the visual language of batik painting through figures, gestures, attributes, motifs, colors, and composition. The creative process employed Gustami’s method, comprising exploration, design, and realization. Exploration involved examining the characters of the Pandawa, observing batik paintings, interviewing practitioners, and experimenting with colors, followed by the development of alternative designs and their realization using canting and brush-coloring techniques with Remazol dyes. The process produced six 90 × 110 cm works entitled Yudistira, Bima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sadewa, and Pandawa Lima. Each work …

Transformasi Visual Spiritualitas Qur'ani Fundamental Dalam Seni Lukis Kaligrafi Kontemporer, Muhammad Nur Wahid, Ponimin Ponimin

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Fundamental Qur'anic themes, including monotheism (tawhid), revelation and prophethood, the afterlife, justice, and knowledge, serve as the primary source of inspiration for the creation of contemporary Islamic calligraphic paintings. The rapid development of modernization and secularization has reduced the representation of Qur'anic spiritual values in contemporary society, creating the need for a visual medium capable of communicating these values through symbolic, reflective, and aesthetic expressions. This study aims to transform Qur'anic spirituality into contemporary Islamic calligraphic paintings, develop a creative process based on practice-based research, and produce artworks that integrate religious values with contemporary visual art approaches. …

Perundungan Di Mts Al Khairaat Sindue: Analisis Pragmatik Komentar Pada Tiktok @Inews.Com, Maruf Faddurahman, Ananda Alya Dwi Ariani, Suci Muhimmatul Khusna, Sutrisno Gustiraja Alfarizi, Didin Widyartono

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Bullying in educational settings is a social issue that not only affects victims but also generates diverse public responses on social media. This study examines the linguistic forms and pragmatic functions used by netizens in responding to a bullying case at MTs Al Khairaat Sindue through comments on the TikTok account @Inews.com. A descriptive qualitative approach employing qualitative content analysis was used. The data comprised 12 high-engagement comments purposively selected from approximately 23,000 comments on the relevant post. The findings reveal several response orientations, including support for the victim, demands for sanctions, rejection of bullying normalization, defense of the perpetrators, …

Representasi Variasi Pola Asuh Dalam Relasi Orang Tua–Anak Pada Film Home Sweet Loan, Aulia Qisthi Rosyada, Baiq Nibriyas Imthinan, Fitriyani Nurrohmah, Neviada Bristyn, Helmi Muzaki, Bayu Koen Anggoro

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Family-themed films can represent different parenting styles through communication, behavior, and parent–child relationships. This study aims to analyze the representation of parenting styles in the film Home Sweet Loan. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, using dialogue, characters’ actions and expressions, and contextual elements of parent–child interactions as data. The data were collected through repeated viewing and systematic note-taking and were subsequently coded and deductively categorized according to authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting characteristics. The findings reveal three predominant parenting tendencies. Kaluna’s father represents authoritative parenting through emotional support, firm boundaries, open communication, and respect for his children’s …

D2.09 Cultural Activity: Borges Posthumous Interview, Carlos Uncal, Courtney L. Self, Cristo Leon

10mo Coloquio Internacional de Estudios sobre Juegos de Rol

Descripción del evento: Actividad cultural transdisciplinaria que combina teatro, entrevista performativa e improvisación para presentar un encuentro imaginario con Jorge Luis Borges. La sesión inicia con una conversación guiada sobre literatura fantástica, mitología, filosofía, religión, historia y creación literaria. Posteriormente, el público podrá formular preguntas espontáneas y proponer palabras o frases que servirán como punto de partida para la improvisación de poemas originales. La actividad explora la relación entre interpretación teatral, participación del público, memoria cultural y creación colaborativa.

Event description: This transdisciplinary cultural activity combines theater, performative interviewing, and improvisation to stage an imagined encounter with Jorge Luis Borges. …

Performing Disobedience: Critical Spatial Heritage, Counter-Memory, And The Rewriting Of Medellín’S Public Space, Laura Balán

Interiority

This article examines the radical street performance practice of Bernardo Ángel Saldarriaga in Medellín, Colombia, as a site of political and epistemological transformation. Through ethnographic engagement with Saldarriaga—an ascetic artist who stages trance-based interventions in public space—the study analyses how his performances disrupt dominant narratives of history, identity, and citizenship. Drawing on political ontology, decolonial thought, and critical heritage studies, the article argues that Saldarriaga's work functions as a hybrid forum for negotiating plural knowledges and social imaginaries. His refusal of institutional funding, his embodied critique of state power, and his use of trance and possession rituals generate both affective …

(Un)Easily Writing The Future, Stuart Moulthrop, Judith Pintar, John G. Mcdaid

ELO (un)supervised 2026

General Abstract: This panel brings together three experienced digital writers who have recently begun to explore Language Models and transformers in creative and academic practice.  Each of us will comment on recent experience and projects, reflecting on how these technologies alter the way we think of ourselves as writers and teachers.

[1] Judith Pintar, "The Non-applicability of Wishing due to Lack of Capacity".

Pintar will discuss her experience of facilitating Gemini AI in a Rogerian therapy session with an Eliza bot written in the Inform programming language. The session is occasionally interrupted with a meta-conversation with Gemini regarding its responses. …

“Anything Can Have Life”: An Interview With Everett Quinton About Charles Ludlam’S Ridiculous Puppetry, Jungmin Song, John Bell, Everett Quinton

Ballard Institute Publications

This Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry conversation, via Zoom, with

Everett Quinton, Dr. John Bell, and Dr. Jungmin Song was recorded March 21,

2021, and edited by Tom Tuke and John Bell. Everett Quinton (1952-2023) was an

actor, director, and—after the death of his partner Charles Ludlam (1943-1987)—

the leader of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the landmark ensemble which

helped define queer theater in the late 20th century. While mostly known for his

acting, playwriting, and directing, Charles Ludlam was also an active puppeteer

and ventriloquist. Many of his puppets are now part of the Ballard Institute and

Museum …

"Then Daddy Began A Story": Storytelling In Tolkien’S Home And Our Own, Josh Renaud

Journal of Tolkien Research

"Then Daddy began a story, and this is what he said." That's how J.R.R. Tolkien began the first manuscript version of "Farmer Giles of Ham," one of a few moments of fatherly storytelling to be found in his fiction. Tolkien is remembered today as a great author and artist, but in his home he was a loving parent who regaled his children with tales — a "story-telling presence," as his daughter Priscilla Tolkien put. In this presentation, I reflect on Tolkien as a "daddy" and oral storyteller, drawing on examples from Tolkien's life and writing. I also consider what storytelling …

Perkembangan Visual Motif Waru Pada Batik Tulis Namiroh Sidoarjo, Muhammad Habib Rafi Asyhari, Sumarwahyudi Sumarwahyudi

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

This study aims to examine the visual development of the Waru motif in Batik Tulis Namiroh Sidoarjo over time, identify the factors influencing these changes, and analyze the visual elements of batik that indicate such development. The visual development of the motif was analyzed chronologically based on different time periods by examining changes in form, color, and composition from the perspective of visual aesthetics. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method with an art and cultural approach. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation and analyzed using the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings …

“Retalhos De Mim Costurados Por Nós” (A Patchwork Of Me, Stitched Together By Us), Marjorye Graves

MFA in Dance Theses

This document represents the culmination of my thesis project "Retalhos de Mim Costurados por Nós" (A Patchwork of Me, Stitched Together by Us), a choreographic project integrating scholarly perspectives from Dance and Social Justice, Phenomenology, and Somatics courses. Employing both dance film and solo live performance, the research interrogates the complexities of identity within the overlapping contexts of immigration, domestic violence, and motherhood. Through an embodied praxis, the project addresses the intersection of adversity and resilience, highlighting the transformative potential of community, cultural inheritance, and spirituality in my healing process.